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| U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon smiles after receiving an honorary doctorate degree on women's studies at Ewha Womans University in Daehyun-dong, Seoul, Wednesday. The school said it recognized Ban's efforts to promote gender equality and women's rights as the head of the U.N. / Yonhap |
By Yi Whan-woo
North Korea abruptly withdrew an invitation to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to visit the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, Wednesday, a move which Ban found "deeply regrettable."
"North Korea notified us through a diplomatic channel that it was calling off my approved visit to Gaeseong," the U.N. chief said in a speech during the Seoul Digital Forum. The complex is an inter-Korean industrial park in the North Korean city of Gaeseong.
"There was no explanation for such a last-minute change. Pyongyang's decision is deeply regrettable," he added.
"However, as the U.N. secretary general, I will not spare my efforts to encourage North Korea to work with the international community for peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and beyond."
The Ministry of Unification, which deals with inter-Korean affairs, echoed a similar view, saying Pyongyang's move was "regretful."
"Ban sought to visit the industrial park, Thursday, to promote peace and security on the Korean Peninsula," ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol said.
"We urge North Korea to come forward to cooperate with the U.N. and the international community in order to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula and improve inter-Korean relations."
He added his ministry did not receive any message from the reclusive state prior to Ban's speech.
Lim also said the government has not found anything out of the ordinary that may have led the North to call off Ban's trip.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs speculated that the Kim Jong-un regime delivered its message to Ban through its representatives at the U.N. headquarters in New York.
The cancellation of Ban's trip adds to concerns over the erratic nature of the North Korean leader.
According to a North Korea expert, the military regime deliberately made the diplomatic discourtesy because it found Ban's remarks at the World Education Forum (WEF), Tuesday, offensive.
"It's possible Pyongyang was upset by the U.N. chief's criticism of its military aggression," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies.
Ban had said that the U.N. views it as optimal for the two Koreas to engage in dialogue.
However, he pointed out that it is against U.N. Security Council's resolutions for Pyongyang to develop missiles and nuclear arms.
"For North Korea, it's not a big deal to withdraw its invitation to the U.N. chief given that it already has a notorious reputation," Yang said.
"Its decision this time will hardly leave a scratch on its reputation.
"Also I don't think inter-Korean relations will worsen because they are already at their lowest level."
Chang Yong-seok, an analyst at Seoul National University's Institute for Peace and Unification Studies, speculated that North Korea may maintain is hostility against South Korea for the time being.
"Instead of working with Seoul and other countries to mend ties, the internationally-isolated regime will maintain tensions with the South until its founding anniversary in October," he said.
Ban met President Park Geun-hye at Cheong Wa Dae later Wednesday.
He initially announced his plan to visit Gaeseong during a press conference at the WEF in Songdo, Incheon, Tuesday.
Ban, a former foreign minister in the South, is in his homeland for the first time since August 2013. His plan was welcomed by politicians as well as entrepreneurs, who hoped his scheduled tour to the North would bring a breakthrough in inter-Korean relations, which have deteriorated over the past few years.
The Gaeseong complex has been a symbol of reconciliatory efforts between Seoul and Pyongyang since it began operations in 2004.
Ban would have been the first head of the U.N. to visit the complex. He would also have been the first U.N. chief to visit North Korea since Boutros Boutros-Ghali did so in 1993.
